Long Road to Romance
by Chris Stork
Summary: Love is not a task, but a long winding path. Pip and Seras.
1. Introductions

Disclaimer: Hellsing and all other associated copyrights owned by Kouta Hirano, Genon, et al. Should any one of these parties wish it, I will remove this story at once.

The mission looked simple. That should have warned Pip right there.

Five minutes into it things went smoothly. Then one of the targets tore through a wall and killed half of beta team. The principle vampire vanished, and so did the snipers. Things just got bad after that.

Pip had been separated from the rest of the command squad and was trying to find the command squad, the snipers, _anyone_ to form a rally point. Every time he'd gotten close to the sounds of fighting, the noise died and moved off. He tried calling out, but lifeless village swallowed it every time, it was as if they were fighting the town and not vampires.

He continued to toy with the silver cross he bought, hoping he wouldn't have to use it. He turned a corner and saw the remnants of the battle he was chasing. Broken bodies and piles of ash were all that were left.

"Damn", he swore and smashed his fist into the wall.

His radio cracked back to life. Frantically Pip snatched it and brought it to his ear. The signal was faint, but still there.

"Bloo…hel…is…ryone?"

"Copy. Where are you?"

"Nort…end…lls…Ser… act… unny", a loud bang, an inhuman shriek, then, _"Retre … she's…cking lost it_!", and then with a crunch, nothing.

'Lost it' meant a lot of things to different people. To Pip it meant only one thing: overrun.

"Damn it", and he shot off to the north side of the town. Seras couldn't do this, she wasn't a soldier. Even with her abilities, she'd never have a chance.

Through mist-covered streets and darkened alleyways he ran, the cold of the night burning his skin. The shadows were playing tricks with his eyes. Every shift and quiver in the darkness housed dozens of demons ready jump from the gloom and attack.

His breathing was hard, both from the exertion and the fear.

Street after street flew by, Pip straining to hear any noise. A crunch, there in that ruined house! He sprinted over kicking the broken door down and leveled his rifle. He registered the vampire across the room before it violently flew in five different directions. In that haze of blood and bone he picked out the reason for his rescue attempt: Seras.

She no longer looked human. Her eyes were burning crimson, her face distorted by blood lust, her teeth sharpened to spikes.

She turned to him, the look of hunger on her face unmistakable.

Pip reversed his momentum and tried to sprint out the doorway, but it was too late. Seras was already there. He never felt her fist crash into his face, but he did feel her knee slam into his chest when he hit the floor. Through the concussion induced fog Pip heard his shirt collar rip and saw Seras's head start to descend . Only dimly remembering that vampires didn't like sliver, he took his sliver cross, still in his hand, and weakly put it on her temple.

With a cry Seras shot away and place both her hands on the wound. Pip tried to get up still trying to process what happened in the last ten seconds.

"I'm sorry", Seras whimpered and ran into the night, and Pip was left with his thoughts.

It looked so simple.


	2. Conversations

Disclaimer: Hellsing and all other associated copyrights owned by Kouta Hirano, Genon, et al. Should any one of these parties wish it, I will remove this story at once.

* * *

The flight into Brazil was going smoothly. They were flying low to avoid RADAR detection. The steady thrumming of the engines had lulled the men to sleep. Pip was still awake though, not from stress or anxiety, but from the sobbing.

Forcing Seras into her coffin had been a wretched affair. Nobody bothered telling him that she was claustrophobic. Half the guys weren't coming along after that. Over land she hadn't been too bad, just pushing at the lid. Once they were over water it got worse.

She had started clawing at the lid, moaning that she was being crushed. Only the wild rose on the coffin kept her in. Dawn had cut her cries short, but night had fallen long before they reached the shoreline.

"Lemme out...please...crushing...lemme out", in a heart-wrenching whisper.

Pip flinched with every scratch, every muted sob. Visions of the monster that almost killed him and the crying girl in the back danced through his head. Part of him wanted her to ignore her. Part of him wanted to do something.

With a shrill cry the ripping on the lid reached a fever pitch. No one else seemed to react, it was as if he were the only one on the plane. Every noise sliced into him, twisting him up inside. Even through the all noise he could hear her.

"Please... help"

He couldn't take it, he had to do_something_. He stood up and walked back to the hold, avoiding outstretched feet and comatose bodies. Before he wanted to, he was in front of the cargo hold. The light cut off completely at the entrance. He could feel the difference in atmospheres. Light and warm and welcoming behind him. Dark and cold and crushing before him. Still Seras cried.

He stepped into the hold. The cold seeped into his lungs, as if the very air were a poison. Breathing softly Pip waited for his eyes to adjust. Seras's smaller pine coffin came into view first, then Alucard's black monolithic coffin. It was uncomfortably close. Giving it a wide berth, he inched closer to Seras.

"Seras", he called out. She kept sobbing, oblivious. "Seras", louder this time.

"Pip?", she said, crying. "Let me out."

If he did she would die in seconds. He had to calm her down.

"Seras, you have to stay in, it will be alright."

"Let me out,_please..._I'llletyoutouchme, _just_ let me _**out**__!"_ she cried hoarsely, not listening.

She was beautiful, but not like this. He slowly sat down next to her coffin.

"When I first started out, we got a job in Zaire. Some warlord wanted his diamond mine guarded and we got the job. I was the rookie of the bunch and nervous as hell. They came that night", he stopped, remembering.

"What happened?", Seras asked. Pip could barely make it out the way her voice trembled.

"They ran off, weren't expected us. I got _completely _smashed that night."

"Do you do anything but drink?", she asked, her voice still shaking.

"Play cards, go whoring, and shoot, not necessarily in that order", he replied with a smirk.

"Pig", Seras said halfheartedly.

Maybe I should get her talking, it might help. "Seras, why did you decide to be a cop?"

She paused for several moments before she answered.

"When I was little, my parents were murdered. I wanted to find who did it", she said stiffly.

I should keep talking. He started running his fingers across the lid of the coffin rhythmically.

"I was in Uganda before I came here, we were supposed to hold the some worthless hill, we were cut off and getting shelled hard. I remember being almost buried alive by the bodies."

Seras had stopped sobbing, but Pip could tell that she was still upset.

"We were digging in after the shelling stopped. Half the guys were already gone. Tried radioing for help; no one answered", he said, reliving the moment.

"Then what?", Seras's voice still shook, but she was listening.

"I got the few of us gathered up to strike back, then the tanks showed up and saved us. Not exactly what you thought, n'est-pas?"

"No", she said quietly.

"Don't worry, mignonette, I'll do something heroic just for you."

He could hear her shift inside the coffin.

"You haven't seen the things I fight", there was something in her voice Pip couldn't quite place.

"I mean it, I'll even throw a party after."

"Just don't sing."

Pip laughed quietly. They spent the rest of the night like that, simply talking.


	3. Aspirations

Disclaimer: Hellsing and all other associated copyrights owned by Kouta Hirano, Genon, et al. Should any one of these parties wish it, I will remove this story at once.

* * *

The flight back was quiet -nothing after that was- but a few hours of serenity was still nice. Now came the cruel waiting, the waiting for The War to start.

It was night and Pip stood on the roof of the mansion looking over the field. Seras sat on the edge kicking her legs, trying to seem unconcerned. She was failing miserably. He didn't want to keep her occupied like this. However, she was the best one to help him setup defenses.

"We don't know how many vampires there are; don't know where they'll attack from; we don't know what they can do; don't know what equipment they have;" Pip stated and turned to Seras and smiled, "And I thought this job would be different."

Seras didn't respond. She kept staring out over the plain in front of the manor.

"Alors, we'll need tear down the gates; setup sandbags; dig a trench peut-être."

"For the manor we can get a vicar to seal the manor" Seras blurted out.

"Then you can't get in or out, Mignonette."

"They can't get in."

_As convenient as that sounded_, he thought to himself: _I will need her running around_.

"Et weapon-" Pip began.

"Long range, you will have to stop them from far away" Seras cut in.

Pip nodded solemnly, he saw what Seras could do, and he didn't want any of those monsters close to his men.

"The machine guns will have to go here." Pip said pointing to the corners of the roof, "And anti-aircraft guns there" He continued, pointing to the center of the roof. He pointed out into the darkness.

"Machine guns on the approach, mortars in-" Seras cut him off.

"That's the hill."

Pip squinted, dawn was hours away. He could barely see twenty meters. He pointed off to the right.

"The forest, _non_?"

"The field."

Pip exhaled, he needed to know where to setup the defenses. Seras would collapse soon after sunrise and he needed her help.

"Mignonette, would you like to take an evening stroll?" He asked, as he held out his hand.

Seras looked up nervously, not knowing how to accept his offer.

"Oh…Okay", she said cautiously took his hand.

* * *

Walking through a pitch-black forest, tripping over every rock and running into tree branches was not how Pip envisioned spending the night when he woke up that morning. Still, it wasn't all that bad. Seras could see better and therefore had to lead them. Giving Pip a perfect view of the curves of her silhouette, the soft arch of her back, and the gentle swell of her hips.

Pip heard the quiet rushing of the river long before he saw it. Dark and tempestuous, it ran for kilometers in either direction. This was the farthest east Millennium could hope to attack from.

"Vampires cannot cross running water, Oui?"

"No."

Pip looked over at the river. It didn't look deep or very wide, but if Seras said they couldn't...

"Motion sensors on the ground," he said, "And silver throughout." _Mines on the river in case they dam it_, he thought to himself.

"Silver won't stop them." She pointed out.

"Non, but he will slow them."

Pausing a moment, Pip lit a cigarette. The feeble light provided almost no illumination, but it was sufficient enough to play across Seras. Shadows pooled around her, giving her an almost ethereal quality. _Elle est beau,_ he thought. She turned her head away, but not before Pip saw the worry in her eye. _She has never been in a battle, a real one_ _before_, he thought.

"Do not worry, Mignonette, you will do fine, I am sure of it."

She glanced back briefly and looked away.

"You've never fought vampires before."

"They have not fought me."

Seras looked around, seemingly unsatisfied with his answer.

"You need to see the other areas, right?"

"Oui_._"

She walked by wordlessly, nimbly avoiding the trees and branches. Pip followed after, still tripping and running into trees, but not as many as before. A few minutes of trudging and they were both through. He could see London's distant lights, a few brilliant dots in a vast sea of darkness. He hoped that they would never know of what was coming. Shaking his head he went back to more pressing matters.

The fields in front of the manor extended for kilometers, a death trap for anyone. They would expect machine guns and fire volleys all the way in, mining the approach would catch them off guard. Easily done.

Seras walked on stiffly and silently; she hadn't said a word since they left the river. Pip knew that the coming battle was eating at her. She was too innocent, too _good_, to be part of this. The least he could was try to take her mind off of it.

"Mignonette, you said that you were a cop before, what was it like?"

"It was," she paused, remembering, "Fun. I was doing something important. Helping people and respected."

"You had a young age to be in the police."

"When I started no one really took me seriously, I had to knock a few people around," she smiled lightly at the memory. "They made me the mascot of the team."

_I pity those poor cops and criminals_, Pip thought.

"I couldn't really shoot all that well, at least I had a nightstick", Seras continued.

"You must have used her a lot, non?"

"No, not really", she said her voice perfectly level.

_Another conversational land mine_, Pip thought.

"You must have enjoy your status, parties all night n'est-ce pas?" He said, trying to change the subject quickly.

Seras shrugged, "I never had the time or money."

"Cops get never paid well. There are better jobs."

"Money wasn't important. I was doing something right, that's all I needed."

Pip had no way to respond. He never thought about anything beyond money.

"We're here," Seras stated suddenly.

The sun was closer to rising, but Pip still could only see vague outlines.

"_Bon_," he began to hike up the hill-face, speaking aloud as he did so. "Trip wires all around to delay them. Make holes and fill them with holy water to slow them more. We can cover the approach in the roof." _And the rocks will hide incendiary bombs,_ he thought.

Seras said nothing, not able to judge how well she or anyone else could run down the hills.

"They can not cross the river, and the forest will slow them down. The hills are covered."

Seras nudged him with her elbow, "So, why did you decide to become a mercenary?"

"It was the family business, had to take it up" he said with a smile.

Seras titled her head back and gave him a strange look.

"How was it? Growing up and fighting for money, I mean."

"It was nothing really, except for walking point. Got shot at too much."

"It sounds very dangerous" Seras replied, seemingly searching for something.

"It was" he paused for a moment "Four guys started out at the same time as me, they're gone now."

Pip flicked his used cigarette away, reached into his pocket, pulled out another and lit it.

Seras took a minute to respond, the pain of her lost friends faded slowly as well.

"Sad."

"I didn't know them all that well." He said between drawn out puffs, "Just a couple of kids."

"It must be hard to have friends." She said, as if trying to draw something from him.

"I have friends" Pip retorted, annoyed, but not knowing why, "Collins has a daughter…" The moment the words left his mouth he regretted it. He couldn't remember if Collins or Smith was the one with a daughter. He pressed on, "Henri sends some money to his mother..." _Or was that Richard?_ He thought. "Sergi won't drink anything but vodka and Hans will drink anything." That he was sure of, he'd broken up too many fights to forget. Pip rapidly went through his memory, trying to find the personal details of his men's lives.

Seras started to speak when she snapped her head around, staring out into the night.

"A truck."

"_Bon_, the supplies are here."

"_Vous! Les mitrailleuses ici, ici, et ici_!" Pip yelled out, pointing at windows. "_Mortiers_ _in the roof!"_

The courtyard was overrun with activity. Harsh lights scattered about held off the night while the men set about emptying the transports and raced away with the munitions. Pip directed the maelstrom, barking orders in French. Seras looked around trying to find something to be useful in. The chaos of unloading slowly dissipated as the supplies thinned.

"You, you, and you this way" Pip yelled, pointing to the largest men. He walked over to the largest of the transports. "The anti-aircraft guns are heavy, so on three: _une_ ... _deux_-" he was cut off when the crate was torn from his hands.

"Where does this go?" Seras asked innocently, hefting the immense box as if it were a child's toy.

"Or we could get her to do it" Pip heard one of the men said.

"Je t'adore."

She looked about nervously, not knowing how to respond.

"The roof, Mignonette."

"O-okay" She stammered and took off, casually flipping the crate from one shoulder to the other as she ran.

Pip watched her move with a smirk, until he caught several other men doing the same thing.

"_Get to work!_ There are still things to be unloaded!"

They took off in a flash, eager to get away.

Pip turned back to Seras.

_Simply beautiful_, he thought.

* * *

Edited with the aid and assistance of Selene08


	4. Affirmations

Disclaimer: Hellsing and all other associated copyrights owned by Kouta Hirano, Genon, et al. Should any one of these parties wish it, I will remove this story at once.

* * *

_Elle viendra, Je sais qu'elle._

Pip ducked bullets as he raced to the front barricade, slamming into it before another salvo tore the air.

_Elle viendra._

His heart was pounding. Firing blind he emptied a magazine in Millennium's direction. He didn't think he hit anyone. No need to. Just keep them there and when Seras came back they would kill all of them.

_Je sais qu'elle._

Men were wounded, screaming. Blood slipped from the dying. The words of his men were strained and dimmed. Pip yelled out commands, assignments. He didn't recall a word he said, it was all automatic.

_Seras viendra._

He saw someone pop above the boxes to fire. Before Pip could call him back he was cut down.

"Get down! Split up the ammo!"

Pip crouched down and looked over the pooled ammo. Not much. He looked into the eyes of his men. Not the first time in this situation. There was still hope. He made more reassurances, more words he did not remember.

Suddenly his vision whited out. He was thrown. A moment to recover. His vision blurred. He wobbled to his knees. Pain lanced outward from his abdomen. It hurt, that was good, the ones that didn't hurt were worse.

"Lieutenant! Cas-", Pip started to yell, but cut off when he saw Claude.

"Ca-Captain, ca-ca I take a sh-short rest? I'm so tri...ed."

"Its okay, you can sleep now."

_Au revoir Claude. _Pip struggled to get back into firing position. He couldn't find his rifle. He saw a vampire ready another rocket.

Pip waited, it was all he could do.

_Elle viendra, Je sais qu'elle._

A bang, and the vampire's head exploded. More bangs, more shells flew by.

Down the hall the last of those bastards were being shredded. Out of ammo Seras dropped her weapons and advanced.

"I knew she'd come," Pip said to no one.

Seras strode by, her face set in a stern mask. Tattoo picked herself off the floor and glared at Seras. For a moment they stared at each other. Then that tattooed freak punched the ground. Weird symbols spewed out and crept along the hallway. Seras froze. Only a moment, but was all that thing needed. She cut Seras's arm off first, than stabbed her in the back and sliced out her eyes.

Pip wasn't aware off standing up, taking a gun and running out. Not until he was there. He slammed that bitch's scythe into her face, knocked her to the ground and shot her. He was shaking. He wanted to keep hitting that thing, to make her hurt and scream.

Gasps and pained moans took him from his thoughts. Seras was hurt. She was more important. He gently picked her up and put her across his shoulders.

"Leave me", Seras whispered.

"Non."

"Please leave me", she sounded desperate. Pip ignored her, his stomach still hurt. He forced himself back, ten meters, eight, five. He heard the gunshots and felt pain tear through his legs. Two of the survivors raced out and fired behind him. Smoke canisters were thrown next. Everything hurt, the last steps were utter agony. He wouldn't have traded it for _anything_.

He didn't feel the impact, he didn't feel the pain, he didn't feel anything. His arms lost all strength and Seras slipped out. He collapsed. He looked down and saw the blade sticking out. Seras was struggling to her feet. She seemed to know. Without thinking he surged forward and kissed her. The feel of her soft lips, her wonderful scent, _Her_. _J'ai obtenu mon baiser. _He held her as long as he could. He drew away, his life fading.

"Beautiful.............take..my......blood...Seras", speaking was so hard now,"take.....it....and...go........get........them."

The darkness that played around his eyes closed in and took his sight, he felt the ground hit his back, his last thoughts of Seras.

It.....was......so ........sim..........

The End

* * *

Translations(hopefully accurate):

Elle viendra, Je sais qu'elle – She will come, I know she will

J'ai obtenu mon baiser – I got my kiss.


End file.
